The Duelist
by Grimol
Summary: A team of terrans is sent to Auir, the lost protoss homeworld infested by zerg, to excavate for protoss technology. Ordais, a reaper, comes across the Shel'na Kryhas, a group of surviving protoss. But the main threat is something more then zerg.


I remembered the day I signed the dotted line. Serve for two years and walk free. But in the five years, not a single reaper has survived for more than six months in the Reaper Corps. My name is Ordais, and I was sent to a maximum security prison for a crime I didn't commit, but hey, shit happens and you would never know I was a good guy after training.

During my harsh training at the "Icehouse" in the Torus system, where reapers are trained, they chemically alter the future troopers to make them even more aggressive before being brutally trained in the art of close-quarters combat and how to use our jet packs efficiently. There was a new type of training the terran were testing to combat the blades of both the zerg and protoss races, blades. It combined the training of the P-45 Scythe Gauss Pistols with the fine skills of dual blades with the pistols installed into the hilts. Even through all this training, they never really went over the D-8 charges, a thrown 'sticky' explosive that detonates after a few short seconds.

They stationed me on Auir with an interest in the left over protoss technology that the zerg didn't yet destroy. We were briefed that our primary concern were the zerg forces that blanketed the planet like the swarm of insects they are. How wrong they were.

Our team was moving to a location thought to be one of the temples the protoss once built. Turns out, there was no temple at all.

The way to the site, all we heard were the thrusters and jet packs of reapers and SCVs along with the chatter of the eggheads inside the SCVs. The troopers stayed tense and ready for combat. I kept my blades in a death grip while the chain attached to both the blades and my arms dangled and clashed against the light armor we reapers are known for. I named my swords from the twin blades I read from the book 'Defense of the Ancients'; Sange and Yasha. Sange was the heavier of the two but Yasha was lighter and could strike before Sange could. I held Sange in my right hand and Yasha in my left.

"Stop." said one of the SCVs, "The heat signature from the temple was found here."

"Something doesn't feel right, there is nothing here but grass and rocks." said one of the troopers.

"It's too quiet," another replied.

As if in response to this, creatures with scaly skin emerged from the ground and began an assault on the squad; zerg, and at least two different unit types.

The first type was a dog like creature with two scythe-like appendages on its back and about a meter in length and half a meter tall, the zergling. Moving by hopping on all four legs at once, it attacks with its claws while pouncing and bringing the scythes on its back to slice into its enemy. The second type is a little more formidable; its common length was 5.5 meters in length and could stand at least 2.4 meters high, the hydralisk. The creature was also a scaly skinned monster with two scythe arms at its sides. The underbelly was more snake-like and revealed its true means of destruction, needle spines. The hydralisk began to open their chest cavities, and with their 4000 muscles, began the barrage upon the SCVs and reapers while the zerglings ran into the fray.

I quickly dodged an incoming needle spine as it whizzed by and sank into the ground, baring its stinging, poisonous hairs. Those projectiles have been known to penetrate at least 2 cm of neosteel, an armor used on battlecruisers, so my adrenaline was already pumping and as all reapers tend to do, I quickly took a stimpack to increase my speed. I sliced with Yasha as fast as I could to rend a charging zergling before it tackled me onto my back as I jumped to my feet using the jet pack. As I landed, I cut a hydralisk right down the middle of the skull with Sange, sending bits of blood and flesh across the ground, staining the grass beneath. The corpse slumped to the ground as I boosted forward and held the gun of Sange into the mouth of a zergling and sliced another in half wish Yasha. But despite my best efforts, it was plain to see that we were being overwhelmed, as three zerglings overpowered an SCV and a Reaper was being pinned to the ground by needle barrages, sending blood across the armor.

Then I heard a challenging roar as creature with two energy blades leapt upon a hydralisk and pierced the monster's mouth and chest with the blades before ripping the creature in half. "En taro Adun!" yelled another zealot as more jumped into the fray with armor heavy in battle scars. The protoss tore into the zerg aliens with such fervor to shame a reaper, yet that didn't stop the onslaught of zerg that continued to pour out of the ground.

I quickly stole myself and forced my way back to the remaining squad members, hacking and slashing at any zerg that ventured too closely. Only one SCV and three other reaper troopers were left when I arrived. I looked around and charged at a hydralisk that was opening up its chest cavity to begin projecting more spines at the squad. Before I even made it halfway, a warp blade appeared through the creature's back while another warp blade cut the head off, spilling its contents for all to see. I gazed upon the protoss while it stared back at me, revealing a mark upon its forehead.

While my gaze was held, my remaining squad members, the last two reapers, were tackled by other zealots and their life ended, leaving me to defend myself. I dove to the side, as the zealot with the mark made a small deep on my shoulder armor. With my jet packs, I grabbed what dog tags I could and blasted my way past the protoss and away from the blood covered battleground.


End file.
